Yes. I said it. Porn. Smut. Bedroom material. Explicit. The sex must be there, and it must be detailed. No sex = no sale. No trickster = no sale. No sf/f elements = no sale. Porn without plot = no sale also.

The perfect Circlet story has all the plot development, characterization, action/adventure/something happening of a real story, where the sf/f elements and sex are integral to the setting, theme, and resolution. It's a story designed to excite on multiple levels, to entertain as well as arouse. Take away one aspect of this equation or the other, and it doesn't stand up anymore.

While there are, of course, exceptions to this, keep in mind that it's extremely unlikely those exceptions will be found in my anthology. (Honestly, it's Cecilia Tan's call as to what gets to break her rules, and I'm no Cecilia Tan.)

The major problem I've seen so far is that people hold back. They see erotic, so their characters have sex, but the details are skimmed over like it was prime-time American TV. They give me PG or PG-13, when I'm looking for R and NC-17. People, don't hold back. Don't be embarrassed. If you can't write the sexy stuff, you're submitting to the wrong market. Go to the Circlet site and check out some of the fabulous free microfictions and excerpts we have posted, if you need reassurance that it's okay to let your freak flag fly, your kink show, your pots boil, etc.

Oh, and do observe the word count. The minimum and maximum, as well as the preferred range, exist for a reason.

Comments:

Heh. I'm one of those who is wise enough to know what I can't do. Writing sex scenes, that I can't do. Unless it is 100% absolutely necessary for the plot (so far I have had exactly two of those in my life, both in fanfic) and those are the most difficult things I've ever written.

And that's great for most things. It's always good to know what you can and can't do. Circlet just happens to exist off on the fringe of things. (Mind you, I didn't know I was really any good at it until I tried it on a lark and started selling... heh.)

I think for some spec fic writers, penning tales that are R-rated or X-rated are difficult because we worry over whether or not we'll be able to use them in the canon of our work - how will readers view this story in a wider collection?

I've thought about that, and decided it's a problem to deal with if it ever crops up. My erotic and non-erotic pieces exist in the same setting, and once I have a sufficiently large body of work, characters will undoubtedly cross over. This is especially true for my Puxhill setting, which is home to at least three of my published erotic stories, and one of my published mainstream, as well as a number that haven't found homes yet.

As far as I'm concerned, it's all canon once it's published, though obviously different audiences get different things. Someday, maybe I'll be able to pull together collections that mix erotic and non-erotic. Or maybe I'll crash and burn into obscurity. Who knows. I could be trailblazing! Or just overly ambitious. :>

In the grand scheme of things and how it relates to my original post, it's always good when writers take the time to research their market and write/target accordingly. If they don't know what erotica is, or can't write it, or aren't comfortable writing it, it doesn't make much sense submitting to a specifically erotic market. :>